Ghost Fragments
by CommanderTitanInquisitor
Summary: Grimoire entries. Chapters: Mothyards, Queen of the Reef, Radiance, Deathsinger's Song, Toland.
1. Mothyards

**Ghost Fragment: Mothyards**

* * *

Some Guardians are lost to the Darkness. It is inevitable. The war rages on all across the Solar System, with casualties from both sides. Even the best can make mistakes.

In the Mothyards, a lone Hunter stands atop a snow-covered boulder. You would be forgiven in thinking he was watching for movement across the sweeping metal graveyard, but the Hunter is there for another purpose. His hand cannon remains in his belt; his sniper laid carefully aside, shielded from the snow by his cloak. It was removed long ago. It is not needed for this task.

He has been there for hours.

Finally he moves, shaking away any snowflakes that had landed on him while he was lost in thought. His armour has long since frozen solid. Ice has found its way into any little crack or crease it could find. He silently stretches each limb out, movements clumsy, still half lost in thought. But his time is almost up. The Vanguard will be needing him soon, for some new mission to push back the Darkness and protect the souls it tries to take.

He could not protect them all.

There is just enough time for his final salute. A final homage to _her_ \- the one light he had thought could never go out. It had been such a small mistake. Wrong place, wrong time - one wrong step. Then, that blazing Light had been crushed. She was Fearless. Radiant. Unstoppable. A blazing beacon for all to see. She'd tried so hard.

No more.

The Hunter lays down in the snow, limbs tiredly outstretched. Slowly, he begins to move them, up and down, up and down. The snow is falling heavily now. He can almost hear her laughter. She should be next to him, making these pointless shapes with him. Once, he scorned her and refused to join. The regret and guilt is a burning fist, clenching his chest. He continues to push the snow aside.

Then, all too quickly, he is done. The Hunter slowly gets to his feet. His work is done here. He gathers his weapons, fastens his cloak around his neck, and walks away from his creation without as much as a glance backwards.

The snow angel will be gone by dawn.


	2. Queen of the Reef

**Ghost Fragment: Queen of the Reef**

* * *

"Sister, the Guardian has returned."

Facing the wall, her brother could not see the tiny twitch of the Queen's lips.

She had known the Warlock would return. From the moment they'd set foot in the Reef, Mara Sov had known exactly who the Guardian was - and why they'd come. Phogoth, Draksis, even the Psion Flayers had been turned to ashes, as had countless others. The Black Garden was one of the few that, up until her arrival in the Reef, had escaped the Light of the Warlock. It was an impressive list of victories, but the Guardian didn't even mention her feats as she stood before the Queen and humbly asked for help. To Mara's amusement, the Guardian seemed to think The Queen did not know about her past.

But Mara Sov was not Queen for nothing. She knew, and the lack of boasting from the Guardian had impressed her. She gave the Guardian her information and let her leave, a promise of return hanging in the air as she did so. It seemed that the Guardian had been true to her word.

"Sister?"

Uldred stood behind her, still waiting for orders. Mara let a neutral expression fall across her face, and turned to her brother. Another day would pass where people could only guess at her thoughts.

"I heard. Come, let us see what our visitor has accomplished."


	3. Radiance

**Ghost Fragment: Radiance**

* * *

I am nothing.

I fell. In the midst of battle, I, torn from this universe into the Void. Shattered into a million pieces. I am not sure how I still have thought. The Light, the molecules, the atoms that made me - all gone. Scattered into the poisoned air of the Hive lair. They were victorious. My clanmates fell long before I; their Light dulled by the shadows where he lurked.

What was his name?

Phogoth.

Wretched Hive.

They think they have won. I can feel it.

I cannot allow it.

 **Let them see my final stand.**

In the Void, there is light. There is _Light_. I am pulled back, returned to the universe of stars. I am one of them. A phoenix among darkness. They have never known fire like this.

I am alive.

I am _everything_.

* * *

 **A/N: This is probably my favourite of the ones I've written. Warlocks minds are chaotic turmoil at the best of times, aren't they?**


	4. Deathsinger's Song

**Ghost Fragment: Deathsinger's Song**

* * *

TYPE: Transcript.

DESCRIPTION: Conversation.

PARTIES: Fireteam Saturn. Persons: 3. [0.#]: Guardians. [#.#]: Ghosts.

/AUDIO UNAVAILABLE/

/TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS/

[0.1] That song… Can you hear it?

[0.2] I can.

[0.1] We must find her. She calls to me. Sings. Where is she?

[0.2] Follow the Song.

[0.1] Yes, follow it. Aline, are you deaf? How can you be deaf to this? The Song… My ears. My _soul_.

[X.2] This is a bad idea.

[0.1] You don't know what you're talking about, Ghost.

[0.2] Aline! We must go! Stop hesitating!

[0.3] Listen to your Ghost.

[X.2] Thank you, Aline.

[0.1] Are you mad?! Fine, I shall go to her. Be part of the song. She-

[0.3] Ghost, mute his helmet. Snap him out of this.

[0.1] Just listen to her! She, she is Power. She knows the universe. She is His most trusted servant... How could she not be?

[0.3] This is madness. Katherine, Amell, see reason.

[X.3] The Vanguard would have ordered a retreat, Aline.

[0.2] The Vanguard know nothing!

[0.3] We have lost three already. I will not lose another two.

[0.2] /Signal lost

[0.3] Katherine, will you come with me?

[0.1] I will not.

[0.3] Then I am sorry.

[0.1] /Signal lost

[0.3] Do not revive them.

[X.2] Understood.

[0.3] We must leave. When we are free of this wretched place, wake them. I will see that they recover their senses and never return here.

[X.3] As you wish, Aline.

/END TRANSCRIPT/


	5. Toland

**Ghost Fragment: Toland**

* * *

 _How dare they._

The rage ran through his veins like the Light had, all those months ago. It rarely surfaced any more. Why should it? It wasn't needed. This Warlock hadn't seen daylight in a week, let alone another living soul. Nothing bothered him in his sanctuary. The wards on the door kept the majority of the Hive out. As he'd made no move to attack them, they seemed to have almost forgotten he was there. One lone Acolyte made the mistake of trying to enter in the first few days, but he was quickly destroyed. Toland kept the corpse in a box at the end of the room. For research only, of course.

 _They will regret this._

No, he does not mean the Hive. Nor the Fallen, or the Cabal. Not even the Vex. He hates them all, but that is a learned hate. This is raw, stinging hate for the people who used him. Those _bastards_ in the Tower, the ones too _stupid_ to truly understand his discoveries. They named his genius as madness and threw him from the Tower so he wouldn't "disturb the peace". The three of them, standing around that table, the fucking Vanguard, acting like they knew it all. They did not. They could not. Their minds were closed. There is no place for discovery around people like them.

They exiled him, but they could not stop his work.

So there he stayed, hidden amongst the creatures he'd studied for so long. The Vanguard probably assumed him dead.

 _Like I care._

But, he did care. His research was only good if it could help win the battle. Without access to the Tower, he could not relay his results to the Guardians. The Vanguard's puppets. They were the innocents in this war. If he could save just one of them, it was all worth it. The knowledge for himself was simply a bonus. His anger is dying away now, replaced by worry and a burning desire to _help._

They thought him mad. They were so wrong. "Toland the Shattered", they called him. Still wrong. His mind was far from a disjointed mess of meaningless thought. It was pristine, a web of theories and facts about the bone creatures of the Moon. He'd learned things the Vanguard wouldn't even dream of. If they knew, their sleep would be plagued with nightmares beyond anything else. Everyone thought the Hive easy prey. How could they know otherwise? Nobody looked at them like he did.

They had to know. Now. Before any fool descended into the Hellmouth after him.

They had to know about Crota.


End file.
